Google Changing Trademark Policy In The UK

We’re writing to inform you that we’re changing our trademark complaint procedure in the UK and Ireland. This change may affect how we handle the trademark complaint you currently have on file with Google.

If you’ve submitted a complaint letter requesting that we prevent advertisers from using certain trademark terms anywhere in their ad text, we will continue our efforts to support your request. However, from May 5, 2008, our trademark complaint investigations will no longer result in Google monitoring or restricting keywords for ads served to users in the UK and Ireland. This will bring our procedure in line with the approach taken in the US and Canada. Complaints received on or after today will be processed under our revised procedure.

You do not need to file your trademark complaint with us again unless you would like to amend it based on the new guidelines. For more detailed information regarding our trademark complaint procedure, we invite you to review our revised complaint procedure, posted online at http://www.google.co.uk/tm_complaint.html.

To learn more about this trademark policy revision, please visit http://adwords.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=92877&hl=en_US.

15 Users Responded in " Google Changing Trademark Policy In The UK "

Once again Google rides roughshot over the search marketing industry and shows a total lack of respect for both clients and agencies. All while hiding behind heir standard answer to everything – improved user experience – bla bla bla!! Sorry enough ranting!

I work for a UK based agency and am interested in hearing how you guys in the US dealt with the trademark policy change back in 2004. Iâ€™m specifically keen to know how volatile the market was in the first few weeks/ months and if there are any learings I can apply to my campaigns.

It is interesting that they claim the changes to trademark policy are for user experience. Surely if a user is querying a brand as their search term, then the better user experience in an un cluttered and brand specific search results page. – Just a thought.

Based on my experience with their “Trademark Violation” shenanigans – I have seen a lot of people using our Company’s name as their headline and within the body of the text here in the US inspite of us filing a trademark request with Google. All you need to do with adwords is to request an exception that can be as simple as “we are advertising for xyz please allow exception…” and it works. Not quite sure where Google is going with their trademark policies to be honest. The only ones in the US that they DO seem to follow are using words like Toyota, Honda, Chrysler and some more manufacturers since they are the sharks…for smaller companies it doesn’t work as well.